In my work as a coach I have many conversations with people who are considering coaching. One of the hangups, understandably, is money. Coaches do not work for free. One of my arguments for the value of coaching is simple: protecting your investment.

If you are jumping into the deep end of triathlon, how much are you going to invest? Think through the time, money, and energy it takes to prepare for a competitive season or for an Ironman. To give yourself the opportunity to race at your best it will be a significant investment of all three: time, money and energy.

If you work with a quality coach, your training time will not be wasted. You can be confident each day you are using your time appropriately and are steering clear of injury. You will arrive at your races ready to race. Your coach will have helped you with your game plan for the day – especially important for Ironman where proper execution is tricky. With the right guidance you will get the most out of everything you put into the sport. Working with a coach will add to the expense of triathlon. On the other hand, how much investment is risked by winging it or using a free “plan” off the internet?

In my own athletic career I realized in 2011 that ‘winging it’ was not going to get me to the top of pro podiums. I had achieved mediocre results doing my own thing 2009-2011. I invest much more time and energy and into the sport than most athletes – my daily life is centered around training. It did not make sense to invest so much without guidance. In December 2011 I started working with Joel Filliol, a coach I trusted, respected, and felt I could learn from. Working with Joel has changed my approach in many ways that I will write about another time. Now we preparing for our second season together and his guidance is the best way I can protect my investment in the sport.

Point of pride for me: I am usually well behind with trendy things. I was about 5 years late in reading the Harry Potter books. Until this year I still used my old CD player, so my entrance into the ipod world was about a decade late. If it is cool, I’ll catch on in a few years. This year it would appear Joel is the hot pro coach: Groff, Shoemaker, Findlay, Murray, Carfrae all started with him for 2013. He has one of the most elite rosters of elite athletes in our sport. I finally did something before it was the cool thing to do! This is a major achievement.

Anyways, my point is athletes invest alot into triathlon and hiring a coach helps them make the most of it.

If this reasoning has you considering guidance for 2013 contact me at palmertricoaching@yahoo.com